Creation and exposure of embedded secondary content data relevant to a primary content page of an electronic book

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are several methods, apparatus, and a system to create, expose, and hide embedded secondary content data relevant to a primary content page of an electronic book generated by a content generating device. The method, system, and apparatus is enabled through a Y-axis slide apart gesture that is applied to a notification region of the primary content page such that the secondary content data is made visible when the Y-axis slide apart gesture is applied to the notification region. The method, system, and apparatus is also enabled through a Y-axis pinch close gesture that is applied to a boundary of an exposed pane that is appearing in the primary content page such that the Y-axis pinch close gesture collapses the exposed pane in which the secondary content data is made visible. In one embodiment, the system comprises an association server, an electronic book distribution server, and a content rendering device.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/615,710, filed Sep. 14, 2012, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/664,136 titled “Creation andExposure of Embedded Secondary Content Relevant to a Primary ContentPage of an Electronic Book Through a Y-Axis Gesture at a NotificationRegion in the Primary Content Page,” filed on Jun. 25, 2012. Each ofthese applications is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

This disclosure relates generally to an electronic book technology, inone example embodiment, to a system, method and/or apparatus to createand expose an embedded secondary content data relevant to a primarycontent page of an electronic book through a Y-axis gesture at anotification region in the primary content page.

BACKGROUND

Humans have a curiosity to look behind things. For example, a person maylook behind doors, peek out of windows, and open up presents. The senseof anticipation followed by surprise associated with such an act createsfeelings of enjoyment and satisfaction at finding what was initiallyhidden from plain view. This curiosity does not diminish when one isreading a book or magazine. In both cases, the reader will often becurious to learn the meaning of a word or the history behind a subjectpresented in the text of the book or magazine. For example, a childreading the Harry Potter® book series may want to know the origin of theword “wizard” or brush up on the history of medieval Europe.

One way that a reader can satisfy this curiosity is by having, on hand,reference texts such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, or textbooksrelated to the various subjects the reader finds interesting. However,such reference texts are often expensive and cumbersome to transport andbringing such texts along whenever one is in the mood for a good storydiminishes the reading experience. While electronic books (or e-books)have enabled readers to store multiple texts in one place, the reader isstill required to predict which electronic reference texts are necessaryto satisfy the reader's sense of curiosity going forward and to havesuch electronic reference texts loaded on the e-book before starting anew book or story. Unfortunately, the reader cannot always predict whichreference texts will be necessary and whether such texts will satisfyhis or her sense of curiosity before starting a good book.

SUMMARY

Disclosed are several methods, apparatus, and a system to create,expose, and hide embedded secondary content data relevant to a primarycontent page of an electronic book generated by a content generatingdevice. In one aspect, the method, system, and apparatus is enabledthrough a Y-axis slide apart gesture that is applied to a notificationregion of the primary content page such that the secondary content datais made visible when the Y-axis slide apart gesture is applied to thenotification region. The method, system, and apparatus is also enabledthrough a Y-axis pinch close gesture that is applied to a boundary of anexposed pane that is appearing in the primary content page such that theY-axis pinch close gesture collapses the exposed pane in which thesecondary content data is made visible.

In one aspect, a system includes an association server, an electronicbook distribution server, a primary content database, a secondarycontent database and a content rendering device. In one aspect, theassociation server embeds a secondary content data from a secondarycontent database with a primary content page of an electronic book froma primary content database. This may be done to make operable a Y-axisslide apart gesture that is applied to a notification region of at leastone of the primary content pages such that at least one of the secondarycontent data may be made visible when the Y-axis slide apart gesture isapplied to the notification region. The electronic book distributionserver may provide access to the electronic book having at least onesecondary content data and at least one of the primary content pages.The content rendering device may generate at least one of the primarycontent pages embedded with at least one secondary content data when theelectronic book is accessed through the electronic book distributionserver.

In one aspect, the association server makes operable a Y-axis pinchclose gesture that may be applied to a boundary of an exposed pane thatis appearing in at least one of the primary content pages such that theY-axis pinch close gesture collapses the exposed pane in which at leastone of the secondary content data is made visible.

In another aspect, at least one of the primary content pages may be partof a literary work of authorship comprised primarily of literary contentsuch that the literary work of authorship is comprised of primarycontent pages in which each subsequent primary content page furtherbuilds upon content described in at least some previous primary contentpage in a fashion such that an internal content of the literary work ofauthorship maintains a cohesive whole describing a theme of the literarywork of authorship.

In yet another aspect, at least one of the secondary content data may berelated to at least one of the primary content pages in a manner suchthat at least one of the secondary content data maintains a thematicrelationship with at least one of the primary content pages itreferences.

Moreover, the secondary content data may be comprised of: a textualcontent related to at least one of the primary content pages, amultimedia content related to at least one of the primary content pages,a video content related to at least one of the primary content pages, apictorial data related to at least one of the primary content pages, anexplanatory data related to at least one of the plurality of primarycontent pages, a translation of at least one of the plurality of primarycontent pages, an advertisement related to at least one of the pluralityof primary content pages, a summary data related to at least one of theplurality of primary content pages, and an interactive game related toat least one of the plurality of primary content pages.

The Y-axis slide apart gesture may be applied to the notification regionof at least one of the plurality of primary content pages to separate acontent adjacent to the notification region in a manner such that thecontent adjacent to the notification region separates synchronously withan open tactile motion of the Y-axis slide apart gesture and reveals theexposed pane through which at least one of the secondary content data ismade visible.

The content rendering device may access at least one of the secondarycontent data from a remote source through a network, so as to enable atleast one of the secondary content data to be refreshed in real-timebased on a present state of the secondary content data.

The content rendering device may also access at least one of thesecondary content data from a local storage on the content renderingdevice, so as to enable the content rendering device to be untetheredfrom a network when accessing at least one of the secondary contentdata.

In another aspect, a method of an association server comprises:determining that at least one of a secondary content data may beassociated with at least one of a primary content page based on therelevancy of at least one of the secondary content data with a semanticanalysis of the literal expression on the primary content page. Themethod also comprises compiling a compiled content of an electronic bookhaving at least one primary content page and at least one secondarycontent data. In addition, the method includes selecting a notificationtype from a notification library and placing the notification type in anotification region of the primary content page. Finally, the methodincludes embedding a Y-axis slide apart gesture module to thenotification region of at least one of the primary content pages andembedding a Y-axis pinch close gesture module to at least one of theprimary content pages.

In yet another aspect, the method of an association server makesoperable a Y-axis slide apart gesture applied to the notification regionof at least one of the primary content pages through an open function ofthe Y-axis slide apart gesture module such that at least one of thesecondary content data is made visible in an exposed pane on the primarycontent page.

Additionally, the method of an association server makes operable aY-axis pinch close gesture applied to a boundary of an exposed pane thatmay appear in at least one of the primary content pages through a closefunction of the Y-axis pinch close gesture module. By doing so, theY-axis pinch close gesture collapses the exposed pane in which at leastone of the secondary content data is made visible.

Finally, disclosed is an association server comprising: a compilationmodule, a notification placement module, and a gesture applicationmodule. The compilation module may create a compiled content of anelectronic book comprising a plurality of primary content pages and aplurality of secondary content data where least one of the primarycontent pages is thematically associated with at least one of thesecondary content data. The notification placement module may select anotification type from a notification library and may place thenotification type in a notification region of at least one of theprimary content pages.

Finally, a gesture application module may make visible at least one ofthe secondary content data in at least one of the primary content pagesthrough a Y-axis slide apart module when a Y-axis slide apart gesture isapplied to a notification region of at least one of the primary contentpages. A Y-axis pinch close gesture restores at least one of the primarycontent pages to its original form through a Y-axis pinch close modulewhen a Y-axis pinch close gesture is applied to an exposed panecontaining at least one of the secondary content data associated with aprimary content page of an electronic book generated by a contentrendering device.

The methods disclosed herein may be implemented in any means forachieving various aspects, and may be executed in a form of amachine-readable medium embodying a set of instructions that, whenexecuted by a machine, cause the machine to perform any of theoperations disclosed herein. Other features will be apparent from theaccompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Example embodiments are illustrated by way of example and are notlimited to the figures of accompanying drawings, in which likereferences indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a network architecture view of an association serverinvolved in the creation of digital content, according to an exampleembodiment.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are interaction views, respectively, of a user exposingembedded secondary content data through a Y-axis gesture applied to anotification region of a primary content page made operable by theassociation server of FIG. 1, according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are interaction views, respectively, of a user hidingexposed embedded secondary content data through a Y-axis pinch closegesture applied to a boundary of an exposed pane in the primary contentpage made operable by the association server of FIG. 1, according to oneembodiment

FIG. 4 illustrates a thematic relationship between the primary contentpage of Figure land its associated secondary content data, according toan example embodiment.

FIG. 5A illustrates the content rendering device of FIG. 1 accessing alocal storage to retrieve a secondary content data stored in a secondarycontent database, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 5B illustrates the content rendering device of FIG. 1 accessing awireless network to retrieve a secondary content data stored in asecondary content database, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating the method of compiling anelectronic book using the association server of FIG. 1, according to anexample embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exploded view of the association server of FIG. 1,according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a table view of an electronic book having data associationcreated through the association server of FIG. 1, according to anexample embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic of a generic computing device and a generic mobilecomputing device that can be used to perform and/or implement any of theembodiments disclosed herein.

Other features of the present embodiments will be apparent fromaccompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments, as described below, may be used to provide severalmethods, a system, and an apparatus to create and expose secondarycontent data relevant to a primary content page of an electronic book.Although the present embodiments have been described with reference tospecific example embodiments, it will be evident that variousmodifications and changes may be made to these embodiments withoutdeparting from the broader spirit and scope of the various embodiments.

Reference is now made to FIG. 1, which illustrates an association server100, a primary content database 102, a secondary content database 104,an electronic book distribution server 106, a content rendering device108, a plurality of primary content pages 112, a plurality of secondarycontent data 114, and a wireless wide area network (WWAN) 110, accordingto one embodiment. In one embodiment, the association server 100 embedsat least one of the plurality of secondary content data 114 from thesecondary content database 104 with at least one of the plurality ofprimary content pages 112 from the primary content database 102.

In one embodiment, at least one of the plurality of secondary contentdata 114 may be embedded with at least one of the plurality of primarycontent pages 112 by associating a file object of the secondary contentdata 114 with the primary content page 112 expressed as machine-readablecode. Such machine-readable code may comprise code expressed as at leastone of a markup language, a syndication language, a metadata language, astyle sheet language, a client-side scripting language, a server-sidescripting language, and a database language. In one embodiment, theembedded secondary content data 114 may be activated using a plug-in.The embedded secondary content data 114 may be activated using afunction call, a call program, an executable script, and/or aself-executing program.

In another embodiment, at least one of the plurality of secondarycontent data 114 may be embedded with at least one of the plurality ofprimary content pages 112 through an embed tag. In yet anotherembodiment, at least one of the plurality of secondary content data 114may be embedded with at least one of the plurality of primary contentpages 112 by attaching a file of the secondary content data 114 to atleast one of the plurality of primary content pages 112 through a fileattachment annotation.

In one embodiment, at least one of the plurality of primary contentpages 112 is a page of content from at least one of an electronic book,an electronic periodical, an electronic manuscript, an electronicrecipe, an electronic manual, and an electronic work of authorship.

In one embodiment, the association server 100 makes operable a Y-axisslide apart gesture 200 (see FIG. 2A) that is applied to a notificationregion 202 (see FIG. 2A) of the primary content page 112 of anelectronic book such that the secondary content data 114 is made visiblewhen the Y-axis slide part gesture 200 is applied to the notificationregion 202.

In one embodiment, the association server 100 may comprise at least aprocessor, a memory, and a software program where the software programstored in the memory of the association sever 100 may be executed by theprocessor to make visible the secondary content data 114 when the Y-axisslide apart gesture is applied to the notification region 202 of theprimary content page 112. In one embodiment, the program comprises aninterface module allowing the user to interact with the contentrendering device 108. The interface module may initiate a functionalcall to make visible the secondary content data 114 when the userapplies the Y-axis slide apart gesture to a portion of display of thecontent rendering device 109 where the notification region 202 islocated. In another embodiment, the Y-axis slide apart gesture 200applied to the display of the content rendering device 108 may trigger acapacitive touch mechanism detected by the association server 100.

In one embodiment, the association server 100 references data comprisingthe primary content page 112 from the primary content database 102through a wired and/or wireless network. The wired and/or wirelessnetwork may comprise at least one of a wireless communication network,an optical and/or infrared link, and a radio frequency link (e.g.,Bluetooth®). The wireless communication network may be a local,proprietary network (e.g., an intranet) and/or may be a part of a largerwide-area network. The wireless communication network may also be alocal area network (LAN), which may be communicatively coupled to a widearea network (WAN) such as the Internet.

In another embodiment, the association server 100 references databasecontent from the secondary content database 104 through the previouslydescribed wired and/or wireless network (e.g., the Internet). Theassociation server 100 may then transmit at least one of an associatedelectronic book, a compiled electronic book, and/or a compiled content710 (see FIG. 7) to the electronic book distribution server 106 througha wired and/or wireless network (e.g., internet network).

The electronic book distribution server 106 may comprise at least aprocessor, a memory, and a software program where the software programis stored in the memory of the association sever 100 and may be executedby the processor having a set of instructions to perform a variety offunctions on the set of data associated with the various embodiments. Inone embodiment, the electronic book distribution server 106 providesaccess to the electronic book having at least one of the plurality ofsecondary content data 114 and at least one of the plurality of primarycontent pages 112. The electronic book distribution server 106 mayinclude, but are not limited to: a Barnes & Noble electronic bookdistribution server, an Amazon® electronic book distribution server, aGoogle® distribution server, a Microsoft® distribution server, and/or anApple® iTunes® distribution server. The electronic book distributionserver 106 may, in turn, transmit at least one of an associatedelectronic book, a compiled electronic book, and/or the compiled content710 (see FIG. 7) to an end user's content rendering device 108 throughthe WWAN 110.

The primary content database 102 may contain a plurality of primarycontent pages 112 comprised of literary works serving as baselinecontent, storied content, central content, and/or overarching content.The primary content database 102 may contain a collection of primarycontent pages 112 from one particular work of literary authorship orfrom any number of works of literary authorship. The secondary contentdatabase 104 may contain the plurality of secondary content data 114comprised of text, images, video, and/or other dynamic content servingas supplemental, augmenting, and/or enhancing content. Such dynamiccontent may be presented using HTML5, CSS, FLASH, COLLADA 3D files,and/or files in the Unity programming language.

The plurality of secondary content data 114 may be distinguished fromthe plurality of primary content page 112 by its supplemental,augmenting, enhancing and/or commercial nature. For example, at leastone primary content page 112 may be comprised of a story with a centraltheme that flows throughout the entire content, while at least one ofthe secondary content data 114 may only have relevance to one section ofthe primary content page 112. In addition, one piece of a plurality ofsecondary content data 114 within one literary work and/or electronicbook may not have relevance and/or thematic connectivity to other piecesof a plurality secondary content data 114 in the same literary workand/or electronic book.

The secondary content database 104 can operate in any number of back-enddatabase languages, including, but not limited to, SQL, MySQL, and/orany EPUB 3 standards. The association server 100 and the electronic bookdistribution server 106 can operate in any number of middlewarelanguages, including, but not limited to, C#, PHP and/or Ruby. Thecontent rendering device 108 can retrieve at least one of a plurality ofsecondary content data 114 from the secondary content database 104through the process depicted in FIG. 1 upon a Y-axis slide apart gesture200 (FIGS. 2A and 2B) by a user.

The content rendering device 108 may refer to at least one of: a thinclient device, a tablet computer, a tablet reader, a smartphone, apersonal digital assistant, a mobile phone, a Barnes & Noble Nook®reader, an Amazon® Kindle®, an Android® based phone and/or reader, aMicrosoft 8® based phone and/or reader, a Sony® PRS®, a Kobo® electronicreader, and/or an Apple® iPhone® and/or iPad®. In one embodiment, thecontent rendering device 108 generates at least one of the plurality ofprimary content pages 112 embedded with at least one of the plurality ofsecondary content data 114 when the electronic book is accessed throughthe electronic book distribution server 106. In one embodiment, thecontent rendering device 108 may comprise a touch display and/or a touchscreen. The touch display may comprise at least one of a multi-pointtouch input screen, a touch panel, and an LCD touch screen. In oneembodiment, the multi-point touch input screen comprises a capacitivesensing medium configured to detect multiple touches (e.g., fingertouches and/or finger gestures applied to a screen of the capacitivesensing medium) and/or near touches occurring at a distinct location inthe plane of the touch panel and which produce a distinct signalrepresentative of the touch at the distinct location of the multi-pointtouch input screen.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 2A and 2B, which are interaction views,respectively, of a user exposing embedded secondary content data 114through a Y-axis slide apart gesture 200 applied to a notificationregion 202 of the primary content page 112 made operable by theassociation server 100.

FIG. 2A illustrates a Y-axis slide apart gesture 200 applied to thenotification region 202 of the primary content page 112 to separate acontent adjacent to the notification region 206 in a manner such thatthe content adjacent to the notification region 206 separatessynchronously with an open tactile motion 204 of the Y-axis slide apartgesture 200. In one embodiment, the open tactile motion 204 of theY-axis slide apart gesture 200 reveals an exposed pane through which atleast one of the secondary content data 114 is made visible. The opentactile motion 204 of the Y-axis slide apart gesture 200 may involve twoor more fingers and may mimic, among other things, a vertical reversepinch gesture of variable speed. In one embodiment, the Y-axis slideapart gesture 200 may reveal the secondary content data 114 in a mannersimilar to at least one of a window, a sliding door, a curtain slowlydrawing open.

In another embodiment, the user may render Y-axis slide apart gesture200 by quickly sliding two fingers in a quick vertical reverse pinchgesture and reveals the secondary content data 114 as a quicklyexpanding window. In yet another embodiment, the user may render aY-axis slide apart gesture 200 using the tips of the user's index fingerand thumb.

In yet another embodiment, the notification region 202 appears on thescreen of the content rendering device 108 as at least one of a subtlehorizontal line, a non-subtle horizontal line, a subtle dashed line, anon-subtle dashed line, a subtle image, a non-subtle image, a subtleobject, and a non-subtle object. In any such case, the contentnotification region 202 may be interspersed among the various lines ofASCII and/or alphanumeric text on at least one primary content page 112page and/or may appear above, below, and/or on the sides of the variouslines of ASCI and/or alphanumeric text on at least one primary contentpage 112. In one embodiment, the symbol and/or line used to evidence thecontent notification region 202 may be located in the proximal vicinityof at least one of the embedded secondary content data 114.

FIG. 2B illustrates the end result of the Y-axis slide apart gesture 200being applied at the notification region 202 of the primary content page112. As indicated in FIG. 2B, the end result of the Y-axis slide apartgesture 200 may be that the embedded secondary content data 114 has beenrevealed on the content rendering device 108 and may appear alongsideremaining portions of the primary content page 112.

In another embodiment, the end result of a Y-axis slide apart gesture200 may be that the newly exposed secondary content data 114 has shiftedthe pre-gesture positioning of at least one primary content page 112 toa new location on the screen of the content rendering device 108. In yetanother embodiment, the end result of a Y-axis slide apart gesture 200may be that the newly exposed secondary content 114 is overlaid on topof at least one primary content page 112 and does not shift thepre-gesture positioning of the primary content page 112 to a newlocation on the screen of the content rendering device 108.

In yet another embodiment, the association server 100 may make operablea Y-axis slide apart gesture 200 applied to the notification region 202of the primary content page 112 through an open function of a Y-axisslide apart gesture module 716 (see FIG. 7) such that at least one ofthe secondary content data 114 is made visible in an exposed pane 304(see FIG. 3A) on the primary content page 112

Reference is now made to FIGS. 3A and 3B, which are interaction views,respectively, of a user hiding at least one exposed embedded secondarycontent data 114 through a close tactile motion 306 of the Y-axis pinchclose gesture 300 at a boundary 302 of an exposed pane 304 and restoringthe primary content page 112, according to one embodiment. FIG. 3Aillustrates a Y-axis pinch close gesture 300 being applied at a boundary302 of an exposed pane 304 and restoring the primary content page 112.The close tactile motion 306 of the Y-axis pinch close gesture 300 mayinvolve two or more fingers and may mimic, among other things, avertical pinching gesture of variable speed.

In one embodiment, the user undertakes the close tactile motion 306 ofthe Y-axis pinch close gesture 300 using the tips of the user's indexfinger and thumb. In another embodiment, the user touches and/or nearlytouches an X and/or a close box appearing on any of the corners of theexposed pane 304. In yet another embodiment, the user touches and/ornearly touches the side of the exposed pane 304. In yet a furtherembodiment, the user touches and/or nearly touches a region of theprimary content page 112 still visible on the page of the contentrendering device 109 to hide the exposed secondary content data 114 andrestore the primary content page 112. In one more embodiment, the usertouches the shifted and/or overlaid primary content page 112 to hide theexposed secondary content data 114 and restore the primary content page112.

FIG. 3B illustrates the end result of the Y-axis pinch close gesture 300being applied at the boundary 302 of the exposed pane 304. As indicatedin FIG. 3B, the end result of the Y-axis pinch close gesture 300 may bethat the exposed secondary content data 114 has been hidden from theuser's view and no longer interferes with the user's literaryexperience. In one embodiment, the end result of the Y-axis pinch closegesture 300 is that the primary content page 112 has been restored toits unperturbed position on the screen of the content rendering device108 and the secondary content data 114 has been hidden from view.

In one embodiment, the association server 100 makes operable the Y-axispinch close gesture 300 applied to the boundary 302 of the exposed pane304 through a close function of the Y-axis pinch close module 714 (seeFIG. 7). The close function may restore the functionality of anotification placement module 706 (see FIG. 7) that permits thenotification region 202 to appear on the primary content page 112 of thecontent rendering device 108.

Reference is now made to FIG. 4, which illustrates a plurality ofprimary content pages 112, a plurality of secondary content data 114, aliterary work of authorship 400, and types of the secondary content data114, in one embodiment. In one embodiment, at least one of the secondarycontent data 114 is related to at least one of the primary content pages112 in a manner such that at least one of the secondary content data 114maintains a thematic relationship 402 with at least one of the primarycontent pages 112 it references. In one embodiment, at least one of theprimary content pages 112 is part of the literary work of authorship 400comprised primarily of literary content. The plurality of primarycontent pages 112 of the literary work of authorship 400 may beorganized such that each subsequent primary content page 112 furtherbuilds upon content described in at least some previous primary contentpage 112. In addition, an expressive content of the plurality of primarycontent pages 112 maintains a cohesive literary connection describing atheme of the literary work of authorship 400. In yet another embodiment,the secondary content data 114 may enhance the primary content page 112by adding meaning and definition to the primary content page 112. In afurther embodiment, the secondary content data 114 may further buildupon the expressive content of the primary content page 112 byintroducing a new content related to the primary content page 112.

The primary content page 112 may comprise a data file comprised of atleast one of an ASCII text, an alphanumeric text, a multimedia contentpresented as a picture, a drawing, and/or an illustration in any numberof formats including, but not limited to, JPEG, GIF, and/or PNG. Thesecondary content data 114 may be comprised of: a textual contentrelated to at least one of the primary content pages 112, a multimediacontent related to at least one of the primary content pages 112, avideo content related to at least one of the primary content pages 112,a pictorial data related to at least one of the primary content pages112, an explanatory data related to at least one of the plurality ofprimary content pages 112, a translation of at least one of theplurality of primary content pages 112, an advertisement related to atleast one of the plurality of primary content pages 112, a summary datarelated to at least one of the plurality of primary content pages 112,and an interactive game related to at least one of the plurality ofprimary content pages 112.

The textual content may comprise a trivia content, a historical content,a background information content, and/or an auxiliary thematic content.All such content may be comprised of at least one of an ASCII textand/or an alphanumeric text. The multimedia content may be comprised ofa picture file, a drawing file, an illustration file, and/or a soundfile in any number of formats including, but not limited to, a JointPhotographic Experts Group (JPEG) format, a Graphics Interchange format(GIF), Tagged Image File format (TIFF), a Portable Network Graphics(PNG) format, a Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) format, aRealAudio® format, a waveform (way) format, a Windows® Media Audioformat, and/or a dynamic content presented using a HyperText MarkupLanguage (HTML), a Cascading Style Sheet (CSS), a Flash® format, and/oraCOLLAborative Design Activity (COLLADA) 3D file format. The videocontent may be comprised of a video file in any number of formats,including, but not limited to, an Audio Video Interleave (AVI) format, aWindows® Media Format (WMV), a Moving Pictures Expert Group (MPEG)format, a QuickTime® format, a RealVideo® format, and/or a Flash®format. The pictorial content may comprise a picture file, a drawingfile, and/or an illustration file in any number of formats comprised ofa Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format, a Graphics Interchangeformat (GIF), a Tagged Image File format (TIFF), and/or Portable NetworkGraphics (PNG) format.

The explanatory data may comprise an auxiliary thematic content, anexplanatory thematic content, a definition, a synonym, and/or an antonympresented in at least one of the file formats described heretofore. Thetranslation may include a translation of at least one of the primarycontent page 112 into at least one of a plurality of languages otherthan the original publication language of the primary content page 112.The advertisement may comprise an advertisement presented through anadvertisement platform supported by at least one of a DoubleClick®platform, a 24/7 Media® platform, a MatchLogic® platform, and/or anEngage Technologies® platform. The summary data may be a file thatsummarizes any of the file content described heretofore. The interactivegame may comprise at least one of a Flash® based game, an Alice® basedgame, a Java® based game, a Shockwave® based game, and/or a Unity® basedgame, in one embodiment.

Reference is now made to FIG. 5A which illustrates the content renderingdevice 108 of FIG. 1 accessing a local storage 500 to retrieve thesecondary content data 114 stored in the secondary content database 104,according to an example embodiment. In one embodiment, the secondarycontent database 104 may be coupled with the local storage 500. In theembodiment, the local storage 500 may be a component of the contentrendering device 108. In another embodiment, the content render device108 may be coupled to the local storage 500 comprising the secondarycontent database 104. In one embodiment, the content rendering device108 may send a query to the secondary content database 104 to retrievethe secondary content data 114.

In one embodiment, the local storage 500 enables the content renderingdevice 108 to be untethered from a network so a user can access thesecondary data 114 without an active network connection.

Reference is now made to FIG. 5B, which illustrates the contentrendering device 108 of FIG. 1 accessing the secondary content database104 to retrieve the secondary content data 114 through the wireless widearea network (WWAN) 110, according to one embodiment. The secondarycontent data 114 may be stored in a repository of a cloud computingenvironment. In another embodiment, the secondary content database 104may be located on a server untethered from the content rendering device108. In the embodiment, the content rendering device 108 may access thesecondary content database 104 through a wireless communication network.The wireless communication network may comprise signals transmitted overat least one of an infrared link, a radiofrequency link (e.g.,Bluetooth®), and an optical link. The wireless communication network maybe a local wireless network or part of a larger wide-area network.

Reference is now made to FIG. 6 which illustrates the operationsinvolved in a method of compiling an electronic book comprising of thesecondary content data 114 and the primary content page 112 using theassociation server 100, according to one embodiment.

In one or more embodiments, operation 602 may involve the associationserver 100 determining that at least one of the plurality of secondarycontent data 114 is associated with at least one of the plurality ofprimary content pages 112 based on a relevancy of at least one of theplurality of secondary content data 114 with a semantic analysis of aliteral expression on at least one of the plurality of primary contentpages 112. In one or more embodiments, operation 604 may involve theassociation server 100 compiling a compiled content 710 (see FIG. 7) ofan electronic book comprising at least one of the plurality of primarycontent pages 112 and at least one of the plurality of secondary contentdata 114.

In one or more embodiments, operation 606 may involve the associationserver 100 selecting a notification type from a notification library 712(see FIG. 7) and placing the notification type in the notificationregion 202 of at least one of the plurality of primary content pages112, wherein the literal expression in the notification region 202 hasrelevancy to at least one of the plurality of secondary content data114. Operation 608 may involve the association server 100 embedding aY-axis slide apart gesture module 716 (see FIG. 7) to the notificationregion 202 of at least one of the plurality of primary content pages112. Operation 610 may involve the association server 100 embedding aY-axis pinch close gesture module 714 (see FIG. 7) to at least one ofthe primary content pages 112. Operation 612 may involve the associationserver 100 making operable a Y-axis slide apart gesture 200 applied tothe notification region 202 of at least one of the plurality of primarycontent pages 112 through an open function of the Y-axis slide apartgesture module 716 such that at least one of the plurality of thesecondary content data 114 is made visible in the exposed pane 304 on atleast one of the plurality of primary content pages 112.

Reference is now made to FIG. 7, which illustrates an exploded view ofthe association server 100 of FIG. 1, according to one embodiment. FIG.7 depicts a plurality of primary content pages 112, a plurality ofsecondary content data 114, a compilation module 704, a notificationplacement module 706, a gesture application module 708, a plurality ofcompiled content 710, a notification library 712, a Y-axis pinch closemodule 714, a Y-axis slide apart module 716, and a content renderingdevice 108.

The compilation module 704 may create a compiled content 710 of anelectronic book comprising a plurality of primary content pages 112 anda plurality of secondary content data 114, wherein least one of theprimary content pages 112 is thematically associated with at least oneof the secondary content data 114. In one embodiment, the compilationmodule 704 may reference the primary content database 102 to select atleast one of the primary content pages 112 stored in the primary contentdatabase 102. The compilation module 704 may reference the primarycontent database 102 by sending a query to the primary content database102.

In one embodiment, the primary content database 102 may be stored in avolatile memory of a server. In another embodiment, the primary contentdatabase 102 may be stored in a non-volatile memory of a server. Theseservers may be coupled to the association server 100. In anotherembodiment, the primary content database 102 may be stored in at leastone of a non-volatile memory and a volatile memory of the associationserver 100. In the embodiment, the compilation module 704 may also bestored in at least one of a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory ofthe association server 100.

In one or more embodiments, the compilation module 704 may reference theprimary content database 102 to select at least one of the secondarycontent data 114 stored in the secondary content database 104. Thecompilation module 704 may reference the secondary content database 104by sending a query to the secondary content database 104. In oneembodiment, the secondary content database 104 may be stored in avolatile memory of a server. In another embodiment, the secondarycontent database 104 may be stored in a non-volatile memory of a server.These servers may be coupled to the association server 100. In anotherembodiment, the secondary content database 104 may be stored in at leastone of a non-volatile memory and a volatile memory of the associationserver 100. In the embodiment, the compilation module 704 may also bestored in at least one of a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory ofthe association server 100. The compilation module 704 may be written inany number of middleware languages including, but not limited to, C#,PHP, and/or Ruby.

In one or more embodiments, the compilation module 704 creates thecompiled content 710. In one example embodiment depicted in FIG. 7, thecompilation module 704 embeds a secondary content data 114A with aprimary content page 112 a and creates a compiled content 710Aa. Inanother example embodiment depicted in FIG. 7, the compilation module704 embeds a secondary content data 114B with a primary content page 112b and creates a compiled content 710Bb.

In one or more embodiments, the notification placement module 706retrieves a notification type from the notification library 712 andembeds the notification type with the compiled content 710. Thenotification placement module 706 may embed the notification type byindicating a page location where the notification type should appear onthe primary content page 112. The notification placement module 706 mayalso indicate the page location where the notification region 200 ofFIG. 2A should appear.

In one or more embodiments, the notification placement module 706 mayreference the notification type by sending a query to the notificationlibrary 712. In one or more embodiments, the notification library 712 isa database. In the embodiment, the notification library 712 may bestored in a volatile memory of a server. In another embodiment, thenotification library 712 may be stored in a non-volatile memory of aserver. These servers may be coupled to the association server 100. Inanother embodiment, the notification library 712 may be stored in atleast one of a non-volatile memory and a volatile memory of theassociation server 100. In the embodiment, the notification placementmodule 706 may also be stored in at least one of a volatile memory and anon-volatile memory of the association server 100. The notificationplacement module 706 may be written in any number of middlewarelanguages including, but not limited to, C#, PHP, and/or Ruby. Thenotification library 712 may be updated upon a request by the userand/or remotely through a wide-area network.

In one or more embodiments, a gesture application module 708 makesvisible at least one of the secondary content data 114 in at least oneof the primary content pages 112 through a Y-axis slide apart module716. In one embodiment, the Y-axis slide apart module 716 makes operablea Y-axis slide apart gesture 200 applied to the notification region 202of at least one of the primary content pages 112. The gestureapplication module 708 also makes operable a Y-axis pinch close gesture300 by restoring at least one of the primary content pages 112 to itsoriginal form when a Y-axis pinch close gesture 300 is applied to theboundary 302 of the exposed pane 304 indicated in FIG. 3A.

The notification placement module 706 may work alongside the gestureapplication module 708 to expose the secondary content data 114 to auser of the content rendering device 108. The gesture application module708 may be triggered by at least one of the Y-axis pinch close module714 and the Y-axis slide apart module 716. At least one of the gestureapplication module 708, the Y-axis pinch close module 714, and theY-axis slide apart module 716 may be stored in a volatile memory of aserver. In another embodiment, at least one of the gesture applicationmodule 708, the Y-axis pinch close module 714, and the Y-axis slideapart module 716 may be stored in a non-volatile memory of a server.These servers may be coupled to the association server 100. The gestureapplication module 708, the Y-axis pinch close module 714, and/or theY-axis slide apart module 716 may be written in any number of middlewarelanguages including, but not limited to, C#, PHP, and/or Ruby.

Reference is now made to FIG. 8, which is a table view of an electronicbook having data association created through the association server 100of FIG. 1, according to one or more embodiments. In one or moreembodiments, the association server 100 associates a page location 808of an electronic book with a particular page of the plurality of primarycontent pages 112. In addition, both the page location 808 and theprimary content page 112 may be associated with a specific data file ofthe plurality of secondary content data 114. Moreover, the primarycontent page 112 and the secondary content data 114 form the compiledcontent 710. In one embodiment, the association server associates anotification type 802, a notification location 804, and a secondaryfetch location 806 with the compiled content 710.

For example, as depicted in FIG. 8, the association server 100 mayassociate page location 1 of the electronic book with a primary contentpage 112 a, and also associate a secondary content data 114A with theprimary content page 112 a. A compiled content 710Aa, resulting from thepage association, may be associated with a notification type 802A (e.g.,a “standard” notification type) at a location ¾ of the total distancedown from the top of the primary content page 112 a. In this exampleembodiment, the association server 100 may fetch the secondary contentdata 114 from a client device.

In another embodiment, page location 15 of the electronic book may beassociated with a primary content page 112 b, which may, in turn, beassociated with a secondary content data 114B. A compiled content 710Bbresulting from the page association, may be associated with anotification type 802B (e.g., a “custom” notification type) at alocation ⅔ of the total distance down from the top of primary contentpage 112 b. In this example, the association server 100 may fetch thesecondary content data 114 from a server through a network.

In yet another embodiment, page location 24 of the electronic book maybe associated with a primary content page 112 c, which may, in turn, beassociated with a secondary content data 114C. A compiled content 710Ccresulting from the page association, may be associated with anotification type 802C (e.g., an “image” notification type) at alocation ⅞ of the total distance down from the top of primary contentpage 112 c. In this example, the association server 100 may fetch thesecondary content data 114 from both a client device and a serverthrough a network.

FIG. 9 is a schematic of a generic computing device 900 and a genericmobile computing device 950 that can be used to perform and/or implementany of the embodiments disclosed herein. The generic computing device900 may represent various forms of digital computers, such as laptops,desktops, workstations, personal digital assistants, servers, bladeservers, mainframes, and/or other appropriate computers. The genericmobile computing device 950 may represent various forms of mobiledevices, such as smartphones, personal digital assistants, cellulartelephones, and other similar generic mobile computing devices. Thecomponents shown here, their connections, couples, and relationships,and their functions, are meant to be exemplary only, and are not meantto limit the embodiments described and/or claimed.

The generic computing device 900 may include a processor 902, a memory904, a storage device 906, a high speed interface 908 coupled to thememory 904 and a plurality of high speed expansion ports 910, and a lowspeed interface 912 coupled to a low speed bus 914 and a storage device906. In one embodiment, each of the components heretofore may beinter-coupled using various buses, and may be mounted on a commonmotherboard and/or in other manners as appropriate. The processor 902may process instructions for execution in the generic computing device900, including instructions stored in the memory 904 and/or on thestorage device 906 to display a graphical information for a GUI on anexternal input/output device, such as a display unit 916 coupled to thehigh speed interface 908. In other embodiments, multiple processorsand/or multiple buses may be used, as appropriate, along with multiplememories and/or types of memory. Also, a plurality of generic computingdevices 900 may be coupled with, with each device providing portions ofthe necessary operations (e.g., as a server bank, a group of bladeservers, and/or a multi-processor system).

The memory 904 may be coupled to the generic computing device 900. Inone embodiment, the memory 904 may be a volatile memory. In anotherembodiment, the memory 904 may be a non-volatile memory. The memory 904may also be another form of computer-readable medium, such as a magneticand/or an optical disk. The storage device 906 may be capable ofproviding mass storage for the generic computing device 900. In oneembodiment, the storage device 906 may be comprised of at least one of afloppy disk device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, a tapedevice, a flash memory and/or other similar solid state memory device.In another embodiment, the storage device 906 may be an array of thedevices in a computer-readable medium previously mentioned heretofore,computer-readable medium, such as, and/or an array of devices, includingdevices in a storage area network and/or other configurations.

A computer program may be comprised of instructions that, when executed,perform one or more methods, such as those described above. Theinstructions may be stored in at least one of the memory 904, thestorage device 906, a memory coupled to the processor 902, and/or apropagated signal.

The high speed interface 908 may manage bandwidth-intensive operationsfor the generic computing device 900, while the low speed interface 912may manage lower bandwidth-intensive operations. Such allocation offunctions is exemplary only. In one embodiment, the high-speed interface908 may be coupled to at least one of the memory 904, the display unit916 (e.g., through a graphics processor and/or an accelerator), and tothe plurality of high speed expansion ports 910, which may acceptvarious expansion cards. In the embodiment, the low speed interface 912may be coupled to at least one of the storage device 906 and thelow-speed bus 914. The low speed bus 914 may be comprised of a wiredand/or wireless communication port (e.g., a Universal Serial Bus(“USB”), a Bluetooth® port, an Ethernet port, and/or a wireless Ethernetport). The low speed bus 914 may also be coupled to at least one of scanunit 928, a printer 926, a keyboard, a mouse 924, and a networkingdevice (e.g., a switch and/or a router) through a network adapter.

The generic computing device 900 may be implemented in a number ofdifferent forms, as shown in the figure. In one embodiment, the genericcomputing device 900 may be implemented as a standard server 920 and/ora group of such servers. In another embodiment, the generic computingdevice 900 may be implemented as part of a rack server system 922. Inyet another embodiment, the generic computing device 900 may beimplemented as a general computer 920 such as a laptop computer.Alternatively, a component from the generic computing device 900 may becombined with another component in a generic mobile computing device950. In one or more embodiments, an entire system may be made up of aplurality of generic computing devices 900 and/or a plurality of genericcomputing devices 900 coupled to a plurality of generic mobile computingdevices 950.

In one embodiment, the generic mobile computing device 950 may compriseat least one of a mobile compatible processor 952, a mobile compatiblememory 954, and an input/output device such as a mobile display 966, acommunication interface 972, and a transceiver 958, among othercomponents. The generic mobile computing device 950 may also be providedwith a storage device, such as a microdrive or other device, to provideadditional storage. In one embodiment, at least one of the componentsindicated heretofore are inter-coupled using various buses, and severalof the components may be mounted on a common motherboard.

The mobile compatible processor 952 may execute instructions in thegeneric mobile computing device 950, including instructions stored inthe mobile compatible memory 954. The mobile compatible processor 952may be implemented as a chipset of chips that include separate andmultiple analog and digital processors. The mobile compatible processor952 may provide, for example, for coordination of the other componentsof the generic mobile computing device 950, such as control of userinterfaces, applications run by the generic mobile computing device 950,and wireless communication by the generic mobile computing device 950.

The mobile compatible processor 952 may communicate with a user throughthe control interface 956 and the display interface 964 coupled to amobile display 966. In one embodiment, the mobile display 966 may be atleast one of a Thin-Film-Transistor Liquid Crystal Display (“TFT LCD”),an Organic Light Emitting Diode (“OLED”) display, and anotherappropriate display technology. The display interface 964 may compriseappropriate circuitry for driving the mobile display 966 to presentgraphical and other information to a user. The control interface 956 mayreceive commands from a user and convert them for submission to themobile compatible processor 952. In addition, an external interface 962may be provide in communication with the mobile compatible processor952, so as to enable near area communication of the generic mobilecomputing device 950 with other devices. External interface 962 mayprovide, for example, for wired communication in some embodiments, orfor wireless communication in other embodiments, and multiple interfacesmay also be used.

The mobile compatible memory 954 may be coupled to the generic mobilecomputing device 950. The mobile compatible memory 954 may beimplemented as at least one of a volatile memory and a non-volatilememory. The expansion memory 978 may also be coupled to the genericmobile computing device 950 through the expansion interface 976, whichmay comprise, for example, a Single In Line Memory Module (“SIMM”) cardinterface. The expansion memory 978 may provide extra storage space forthe generic mobile computing device 950, or may also store anapplication or other information for the generic mobile computing device950. Specifically, the expansion memory 978 may comprise instructions tocarry out the processes described above. The expansion memory 978 mayalso comprise secure information. For example, the expansion memory 978may be provided as a security module for the generic mobile computingdevice 950, and may be programmed with instructions that permit secureuse of the generic mobile computing device 950. In addition, a secureapplication may be provided on the SIMM card, along with additionalinformation, such as placing identifying information on the SIMM card ina non-hackable manner.

The mobile compatible memory 952 may comprise at least one of a volatilememory (e.g., a flash memory) and a non-volatile memory (e.g., anon-volatile random-access memory (“NVRAM”)). In one embodiment, acomputer program comprises a set of instructions that, when executed,perform one or more methods. The set of instructions may be stored on atleast one of the mobile compatible memory 954, the expansion memory 978,a memory coupled to the mobile compatible processor 952, and apropagated signal that may be received, for example, over thetransceiver 958 and/or the external interface 962.

The generic mobile computing device 950 may communicate wirelesslythrough the communication interface 972, which may be comprised of adigital signal processing circuitry. The communication interface 972 mayprovide for communications using various modes and/or protocols, suchas, at least one of: a Global System for Mobile Communications (“GSM”)protocol, a Short Message Service (“SMS”) protocol, an EnhancedMessaging System (“EMS”) protocol, a Multimedia Messaging Service(“MMS”) protocol, a Code Division Multiple Access (“CDMA”) protocol,Time Division Multiple Access (“TDMA”) protocol, a Personal DigitalCellular (“PDC”) protocol, a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access(“WCDMA”) protocol, a CDMA2000 protocol, and a General Packet RadioService (“GPRS”) protocol. Such communication may occur, for example,through the radio-frequency transceiver 958. In addition, short-rangecommunication may occur, such as using a Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi, and/or othersuch transceiver. In addition, a GPS (“Global Positioning System”)receiver module may provide additional navigation-related andlocation-related wireless data to the generic mobile computing device950, which may be used as appropriate by a software application runningon the generic mobile computing device 950.

The generic mobile computing device 950 may also communicate audiblyusing an audio codec 960, which may receive spoken information from auser and convert it to usable digital information. The audio codec 960may likewise generate audible sound for a user, such as through aspeaker (e.g., in a handset of the generic mobile computing device 950).Such a sound may comprise a sound from a voice telephone call, arecorded sound (e.g., a voice message, a music files, etc.) and may alsoinclude a sound generated by an application operating on the genericmobile computing device 950.

The generic mobile computing device 950 may be implemented in a numberof different forms, as shown in the figure. In one embodiment, thegeneric mobile computing device 950 may be implemented as a smartphone968. In another embodiment, the generic mobile computing device 950 maybe implemented as a personal digital assistant (“PDA”). In yet anotherembodiment, the generic mobile computing device, 950 may be implementedas a tablet device 982.

Various embodiments of the systems and techniques described here can berealized in at least one of a digital electronic circuitry, anintegrated circuitry, a specially designed application specificintegrated circuits (“ASICs”), a piece of computer hardware, a firmware,a software application, and a combination thereof. These variousembodiments can include embodiment in one or more computer programs thatare executable and/or interpretable on a programmable system includingat least one programmable processor, which may be special or generalpurpose, coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmitdata and instructions to, a storage system, at least one input device,and at least one output device.

These computer programs (also known as programs, software, softwareapplications, and/or code) comprise machine-readable instructions for aprogrammable processor, and can be implemented in a high-levelprocedural and/or object-oriented programming language, and/or inassembly/machine language. As used herein, the terms “machine-readablemedium” and/or “computer-readable medium” refers to any computer programproduct, apparatus and/or device (e.g., magnetic discs, optical disks,memory, and/or Programmable Logic Devices (“PLDs”)) used to providemachine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor, includinga machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as amachine-readable signal. The term “machine-readable signal” refers toany signal used to provide machine instructions and/or data to aprogrammable processor.

To provide for interaction with a user, the systems and techniquesdescribed here may be implemented on a computing device having a displaydevice (e.g., a cathode ray tube (“CRT”) and/or liquid crystal display(“LCD”) monitor) for displaying information to the user and a keyboardand a mouse 924 by which the user can provide input to the computer.Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with auser as well; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any formof sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, and/ortactile feed-back) and input from the user can be received in any form,including acoustic, speech, and/or tactile input.

The systems and techniques described here may be implemented in acomputing system that comprises at least one of a back end component(e.g., as a data server), a middleware component (e.g., an applicationserver), a front end component (e.g., a client computer having agraphical user interface, and/or a Web browser through which a user caninteract with an embodiment of the systems and techniques describedhere), and a combination thereof. The components of the system may alsobe coupled through a communication network.

The communication network may comprise at least one of a local areanetwork (“LAN”) and a wide area network (“WAN”) (e.g., the Internet).The computing system can comprise at least one of a client and a server.In one embodiment, the client and the server are remote from each otherand interact through the communication network.

An example will now be described in which the various embodiments willbe explained in a hypothetical scenario. A reader may be readingGeoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales on a content rendering device108 (e.g., a Barnes & Noble Nook® device). The reader may be reading apassage regarding the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at CanterburyCathedral and wondering if Canterbury Cathedral actually exists. Thereader may see a notification icon next to the line of text mentioningCanterbury Cathedral. The reader, wanting to know more about CanterburyCathedral, applies a Y-axis slide apart gesture 200 to the screen of thecontent rendering device 108 through an open tactile motion 204 usingthe tips of the reader's thumb and index finger. The content adjacent tothe notification region 206 shifts as the exposed pane 304 appears onthe screen of the content rendering device 108.

The user reads the secondary content data 114 (which, in this case, is atext passage on Canterbury Cathedral) appearing in the exposed pane 304and learns that Canterbury Cathedral is located in Canterbury, Kent inEngland. The reader also learns that the cathedral was completed in the11^(th) century and was the site of Archbishop Thomas Becket's murder.After reading this, the user hides the exposed pane 304 by applying aY-axis pinch close gesture 300 to the boundary 302 of the exposed pane304 through a close tactile motion 306 using the same two fingers. Oncethe exposed pane 304 has been closed, the user continues reading TheCanterbury Tales on the content rendering device 108 and eagerly readson having obtained important context pertaining to a crucial element ofthe story.

A number of embodiments have been described. Nevertheless, it will beunderstood that various modifications may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the claimed invention. In addition, the logicflows depicted in the figures do not require the particular order shown,or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In addition, othersteps may be provided, or steps may be eliminated, from the describedflows, and other components may be added to, or removed from, thedescribed systems. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scopeof the following claims.

It may be appreciated that the various systems, methods, and apparatusdisclosed herein may be embodied in a machine-readable medium and/or amachine accessible medium compatible with a data processing system(e.g., a computer system), and/or may be performed in any order.

The structures and modules in the figures may be shown as distinct andcommunicating with only a few specific structures and not others. Thestructures may be merged with each other, may perform overlappingfunctions, and may communicate with other structures not shown to beconnected in the Figures. Accordingly, the specification and/or drawingsmay be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device comprising: a touch-sensitive displayfor displaying a primary content page and allowing user input, theprimary content page being a page of content from a digital document;and a user interface including a secondary content display modeconfigured to activate in response to a Y-axis slide apart gesture thatis applied to a notification region of the primary content page therebycausing secondary content to be displayed, wherein the notificationregion is adjacent to first and second portions of content displayed inthe primary content page and is configured to expand during the Y-axisslide apart gesture to separate the first and second portions of contentadjacent to the notification region to reveal at least a portion of thesecondary content therein.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the Y-axisslide apart gesture that is applied to the notification reveals anexposed pane between the first and second portions of content throughwhich the secondary content is made visible.
 3. The device of claim 1,wherein a Y-axis pinch close gesture applied to the notification regionrestores the primary content page to its original form by collapsing thenotification region and hiding the secondary content from view.
 4. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the secondary content is revealed at avariable speed as determined by the speed at which the Y-axis slideapart gesture is applied.
 5. The device of claim 1, wherein thenotification region is displayed on the touch-sensitive display as aline or image.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the first and secondportions of content in the primary content page comprise is at least oneof ASCII text, alphanumeric text and an image.
 7. The device of claim 1,wherein the secondary content is thematically associated with contentdisplayed on the primary content page.
 8. The device of claim 7, whereinthe secondary content includes at least some content of a different typethan the content displayed in the primary content page.
 9. The device ofclaim 8, wherein the secondary content includes explanatory data aboutcontent in the primary content page, wherein the explanatory dataincludes at least one of a definition, a translation, a synonym and anantonym.
 10. The device of claim 8, wherein the secondary contentincludes textual content in addition to at least one of a triviacontent, historical content, and background information content.
 11. Thedevice of claim 1, further comprising a network interface deviceconfigured to communicatively couple with a network, and receive the atleast a portion of secondary content from a secondary content server viathe network.
 12. A method comprising: displaying a primary content pagevia a touch-sensitive display, the primary content page being a page ofcontent from a digital document; receiving, via the touch-sensitivedisplay, a Y-axis slide apart gesture that is applied to a notificationregion of the primary content page; and displaying secondary content viathe touch-sensitive display in response to receiving the Y-axis slideapart gesture, wherein the notification region is adjacent to first andsecond portions of content displayed in the primary content page and isconfigured to expand in response to the Y-axis slide apart gesture toseparate the first and second portions of content adjacent to thenotification region to reveal at least a portion of the secondarycontent therein.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the Y-axis slideapart gesture that is applied to the notification region separatescontent adjacent to the notification region in a manner such that thefirst and second portions of content adjacent to the notification regionseparate synchronously with an open tactile motion of the Y-axis slideapart gesture and reveals an exposed pane between the separated contentthrough which the secondary content is made visible.
 14. The method ofclaim 12, further comprising collapsing, in response to receiving aY-axis pinch close gesture, the notification region thereby restoringthe primary content page to its original form such that the secondarycontent is hidden from view.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein thesecondary content is revealed at a variable speed as determined by thespeed at which the Y-axis slide apart gesture is applied.
 16. The methodof claim 12, further comprising receiving the at least a portion ofsecondary content from a secondary content server via a communicationnetwork.
 17. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving the atleast a portion of secondary content from a memory of an electronicdevice configured with the touch-sensitive display.
 18. A non-transitorycomputer readable medium encoded with instructions that when executed byone or more processors cause a secondary content display process to becarried out, the process comprising: display a primary content page viaa touch-sensitive display, the primary content page being a page ofcontent from a digital document; receive, via the touch-sensitivedisplay, a Y-axis slide apart gesture that is applied to a notificationregion of the primary content page; and display secondary content viathe touch-sensitive display in response to receiving the Y-axis slideapart gesture, wherein the notification region is adjacent to first andsecond portions of content displayed in the primary content page and isconfigured to expand in response to the Y-axis slide apart gesture toseparate the first and second portions of content adjacent to thenotification region to reveal at least a portion of the secondarycontent therein.
 19. The non-transitory computer readable medium ofclaim 18, wherein the Y-axis slide apart gesture that is applied to thenotification region reveals an exposed pane between the first and secondportions of content through which the secondary content is made visible.20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, the processbeing further configured to receive the at least a portion of secondarycontent from a secondary content server via a communication network. 21.The device of claim 1, wherein the digital document is one of anelectronic book, an electronic periodical, an electronic manuscript, anelectronic recipe, an electronic manual, and an electronic work ofauthorship.